by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

Books have often been society’s only bastion of light for passing along knowledge that would otherwise be lost to time or convoluted by the oral tradition. In order to provide new and old adventurers with as much knowledge of what to expect on their journey in Sanctuary, we created this tome of knowledge – Ars Arcanum. We will regularly feature a Legendary weapon or armor piece, discussing its stand-alone powers and capabilities, as well as how it may synergize with new builds or other items.

Continuing in the Monk vein, we have another item that will see new use once Patch 2.1.2 drops and the Monk metagame shifts. Due to the changes in the Sunwuko set, the Monk’s new best friend is the Incense Torch of the Grand Temple.

Why is it good?

Last week, we touched on the newly reworked Gungdo Gear bracers and how they will provides even more utility for the Exploding Palm skill. We also touched on how that will interact with the reworking of the Monkey King’s Garb set, more commonly known as the Sunwuko set. The latest version of that set’s rework is laid out below:

• • • 2-piece Set Bonus
      • Casting Cyclone Strike, Exploding Palm, Lashing Tail Kick, Tempest Rush, or Wave of Light causes a decoy to spawn that taunts nearby enemies and then explodes for 1000% weapon damage
      • Decoy explosion now deals the damage type of your highest +% Elemental Damage

• 4-piece Set Bonusgned
  • When your decoys explode, you gain a buff that increases the damage of Cyclone Strike, Exploding Palm, Lashing Tail Kick, Tempest Rush, and Wave of Light by 500% for 3 seconds.

As you can see, the Legendary power of the Incense Torch goes up in stock with the way the Sunwuko set now works. Moving the damage from activating the decoy to buffing the Monk’s skills directly means that Monks now need to find the most efficient ways to use their skills as much as possible to deliver the damage. That’s why the Incense Torch shines. Being able to “spam” Wave of Light at a reduced costs allows for more damage per second with the same amount of Spirit. The Furnace will still have a great amount of power as well, but many of the players testing the new changes to the set in the PTR are calling for the Incense Torch as a staple in certain gear buildouts/specs.

Who is it good for?

With this weapon being a two-handed Daibo, it is solely in the possession of the Monk class. Thus, its power and usefulness is naturally tied directly to a Monk skill.

Where can I find it?

This weapon has no limitations on it. As you can see in the picture above, it starts dropping at Level 50 and beyond. You can find it in any mode.

The Fluff

Fills the air with calming fragrances as your opponent feels the weight of your displeasure.

Nothing too specific in regards to lore this week. Simply a bit of humor being employed as you can imagine the incense wafting into the nose (I guess that’s assuming they have one…) of your enemies right before you drop a giant bell on their head. Sounds legit.